Prairie Pics: Phone Photography Contest

Get ready, UIUC students! This September, the Prairie Pics: Phone Photography Contest is your chance to use your phone to capture the stunning native plants and pollinators of Illinois and share them with the world.

This contest is designed to raise awareness and increase appreciation for the incredible native plants right here on campus. Learn more about native plants and their vital role in our ecosystem while helping us shine a light on the natural beauty of native plants that once blanketed the prairie state. All you need is your phone!

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The Contest Details

Join us on September 8, 2025 at 5 PM for a guided tour of the Red Oak Rain Garden outside Allen Hall to learn about native plants and get some photo inspiration. 

This kick-off event marks the start of the submission period for the photo contest. Use your phone to capture the beauty of native fall flora, from goldenrods to asters, and upload your best pics right here.

Red Oak Rain Garden Photos 1
 
 

Upload Your Photos (September 8-22, 2025)

You have two weeks to capture and submit your best photos. Entries must feature native plants from the Red Oak Rain Garden. Only photos showing these native plants, or pollinators visiting the plants, will qualify for the contest.

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Red Oak Rain Garden Photos 3
 
 

 

Vote for Your Favorites

Voting for the Most Popular photo opens September 8, when the contest begins. You can vote once for each photo, so choose your favorites carefully!

 

Visa Gift Card
 
 

 

Contest Winners & Prizes

Winners will be announced no later than September 30, 2025, after the submission period closes. We’ll share the results on the Garden for Wildlife blog and social media channels. The top photographers—chosen by popular vote and a Garden for Wildlife staff pick—will each receive a $50 Visa gift card!




 
By submitting photographs to Garden for Wildlife, you hereby grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, and irrevocable license to use, reproduce, distribute, display, and modify the Content for promotional and marketing purposes, including but not limited to use on the Company's website, social media channels, advertising materials, and other marketing collateral.